The Role of Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Mediators in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

OBJECTIVE: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral cause of vertigo. It can be defined as transient vertigo induced by rapid changes in head position associated with a characteristic paroxysmal positional nystagmus. The aim of this study was to search for the possible role of oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of BPPV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total antioxidant status as well as paraoxonase, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL) 6, and IL-1ß levels were evaluated in peripheral venous serum samples of 30 BPPV and 30 control patients. RESULTS: Total antioxidant status levels were lower in the BPPV group than in the control group (p=0.008). After Epley's repositioning maneuver in the vertigo group, there was a statistically significant decline in IL-1ß levels at the first and third month visits (p=0.014 for first month and p=0.013 for third month). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that IL-1ß and oxidative stress contributed to the pathogenesis of BPPV.

Schneiderian carcinoma developing in an inverted papilloma of the palatine tonsil: an unusual case.

Schneiderian papillomas are among the most common benign tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses. These lesions frequently originate in the lateral nasal wall, and they have a tendency toward recurrence and malignant transformation. Carcinomas arise in association with schneiderian papillomas in approximately 10% of cases. Outside the sinonasal tract, the ectopic occurrence of a schneiderian papilloma is extremely rare. We describe the case of a 52-year-old man with an invasive schneiderian carcinoma that arose within an inverted papilloma in the palatine tonsil. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been previously reported in the English-language literature.